# Minas Tirith **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 1, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minas-tirith/204969 "2003-10-01T19:26:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Methos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Methos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Methos)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minas-tirith/204969/1 "2003-10-01T19:26:36Z")
Now that I have seen the Return of the King trailer, is has brought back a question that I had while I was reading the books a while back. How is ‘Minas Tirith’ supposed to be pronounced? I guess it depends what background your from, but what way would Tolkien have pronounced it? I say Mee-nas Tee-rith. The only other alternative I can think of would be Main-us Tee-rith? Yeh im bored and needed a break from studying, so any thoughts?? 😛 -Mith ---
**Author:** ![Methos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Methos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Methos)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minas-tirith/204969/2 "2003-10-01T19:28:46Z")
sorry that second one is supposed to read Mine-us Tee-rith ---
**Author:** ![Lyllyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minas-tirith/204969/3 "2003-10-01T19:50:40Z")
Pronounced “meena’s teeree’th” according to the [Encylopedia of Arda.](http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/w/witchking.html) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minas-tirith/204969/4 "2003-10-02T01:16:25Z")
OK, now pronouce “Minas Anor” and “Minas Ithil”. For extra credit, try “Minas Morgul”. Check out [the elvish pronunciation guide](http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/misc/local/TolkLang/pronmid/pronguide.html) and just sit back and listen to [this](http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/misc/local/TolkLang/pronmid/sounds/quenya-text.wav) ---
**Author:** ![Frank\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Frank\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank_2)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minas-tirith/204969/5 "2003-10-02T04:24:05Z")
I’ve pronounced it Meh-nas Teh-rith. ---
**Author:** ![Ptahlis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a8b319/32.png) [@Ptahlis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ptahlis)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minas-tirith/204969/6 "2003-10-02T04:39:18Z")
I have an audio recording of kindly Prof. Tolkien reading excerpts from LOTR and he says MEEnas TEErith. I’m inclined to believe him myself. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minas-tirith/204969/7 "2003-10-02T04:42:31Z")
I’ve always pronounced it in my head as Minus Teerith. Kinda like Minus Human, only with less Metallica. I’ve always had the sneaking suspicion I was wrong, though. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minas-tirith/204969/8 "2003-10-02T07:06:00Z")
I believe the Tolkiens have it. ---
**Author:** ![acrossthesea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@acrossthesea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/acrossthesea)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minas-tirith/204969/9 "2003-10-02T10:19:43Z")
A friend of mine is friends with a band that used to be called that. I saw this thread and thought it was about them. Heh. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minas-tirith/204969/10 "2003-10-02T11:53:36Z")
I at first thought it was “Minus TEE-rith” when I first sounded it out in my head. I first learned that other folks thought it might be something else when I first read **Bored of the Rings** , and their parody of it was “Minas Troney” (“Minestrone”), which suggested “Minnas Tirith”. Interesting that Tolkien preferred “Mee-nas”. I prefer that to the short “i”, although I like the long “i” better than both.